Backstage at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, out of sight of the thousands who came from the High Desert to watch him fight, Ryan Garcia couldn’t get enough of the right-left combination that sent his veteran opponent to the canvas less than three minutes into their main event Thursday evening on ESPN.

Watching the footage on the phone of a member of his team, Garcia jumped.

“Oh! You gotta send me that!” Garcia said.

He then turned to hug his mother, who held her boy for almost 10 seconds.

Garcia, 19, is still referred to as a “kid” by some, including Eric Gomez, president of Golden Boy Promotions, but the expectations are already huge for the Victorville native. He showed why Thursday by knocking out his opponent, former world title contender Fernando Vargas, in the first round in their main event bout.

“He could fight for a world title later this year,” Gomez told The Desert Sun. “He’s still a kid, but he’s been ready for whatever we given him.”

Garcia (14-0, 13 knockouts) packed the Fantasy Springs Events Center for the nationally televised bout, and left the crowd chanting his name and on its feet as he exited the ring having barely taken a punch.

“I expected 10 rounds,” Garcia said. “It’s like a dream. I don’t think it actually happened. I’m like, ‘Did I do that?’ I’m thinking I still have to fight.”

Garcia, though, wasn’t the only one who ended things early.

In the co-main event, Eddie Gomez ended his welterweight bout with KeAndre Gibson by way of knockout in the second round. Gomez landed a brutal right-handed counter punch that dropped Gibson with 54 second remaining in the second round. Gomez, of New York, moved to 21-3 with his 12th career knockout victory.

Joet Gonzalez of Glendora moved to 18-0 with his 11th knockout, a fifth-round stoppage of Rolando Magbanua.

But the night belonged to Garcia, who retained the junior North American Boxing Federation’s super featherweight title (130 pounds). He admitted nerves caused him to get off to a slow start, but after a few straight-armed right-handed punches, he loosened and then dominated.

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Ryan Garcia, of Victorville, California celebrates his win over Fernando Vargas of Tijuana, Mexico during their bout at Fantasy Springs Casino on March 22, 2018. (Photo: Omar Ornelas/The Desert Sun)

“When I landed the first right hand, he was stunned,” Garcia said. “I was like, ‘All right, let me throw it again,’ and he moved the same. Boom! He was stuck!”

Garcia is next expected to fight May 5 on the undercard of the Canelo-GGG 2 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He’s one of several Golden Boy prospects expected on the card.

Gomez said Golden Boy isn’t giving Garcia more than he can handle, and doesn’t want to move too fast with him, but Garcia said he doesn’t want to wait for stardom.

“I’m ready for it,” Garcia said. “This is my dream. I’m The Flash, everything I do is fast.”